


Pride

by KrakenCodex (Eghfeithrean)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon-Compliant, Gen, I'm so sorry, This is the only one in the Zarkon & Black Lion tag how, introspective, she/her pronouns for pidge, very
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 05:18:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9307034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eghfeithrean/pseuds/KrakenCodex
Summary: The lions reflect on their respective Paladins following the events of episode 11, and prepare for what lies in store for them in the future.For the Voltron Season 2 Countdown event.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the [Voltron Season 2 Countdown event](voltrons2countdown.tumblr.com); 5 days left!
> 
> One of the things I love to think about is the semi-sentience of the lions and how that could impact things later on down the line. And, you know it's just nice to think about how much they really love their Paladins~  
> So that's pretty much where this is coming from, just a long blurb digging into the lion's perspective on things.

They had been first. First to find each other, first to bond, first to soar through the inky pitch of space as a completed pair.

She’d spent centuries beneath the earth. Waiting so much waiting, so lonely and incomplete; missing her sisters and her lost Paladin. Longing to taste the wide open expanse of the universe that had once been hers.  
She’d called out into the void for endless years until finally one had made to answer. He was not hers she knew, yet she continued to call all the same knowing he was a part of the collective whole. 

And then he had finally found her. Her bondmate. Her loud, spirited little human. Her new Paladin.  
They had been the first, and she then knew joy once more.

In her exhilaration she had launched into the sky, tossing he and his fellow Paladins about like ragdolls within the cockpit. Greeting him in the best way she knew how with the playful mischievousness she was known for. He’d followed with a prank of his own shortly after, to the dismay of his fellow Paladins.  
And the two of them had been inseparable ever since.

They’d bonded immediately, taken to one another like a fish to water. They were the same after all, kindred spirits, and she knew him as well as -if not better than- he knew himself. 

They relished the freedom of flight, found joy in family and companionship and good fun.  
They thrived on competition and games, and she recalled how they had incited the Red pair into a race back when they had all just started out. They’d been confident in one another even then, perhaps over-confident, but the thrill of challenge had been exhilarating. And because the Red team was so very easy to rile up.

He talked to her endlessly, but that was ok. She liked to talk, too. He confided in her, told her things that he held close to his heart. His pain, his heartsickness for family and home. And she understood. Hadn’t she been locked away from her own family for centuries on end? They had their duty to uphold as defenders of the universe first, but she vowed to return him to his Pride as he had brought her back to hers. But for now she would listen and comfort him as she could.

He was a charmer, but a sincere one. He called her beautiful, the best of them all, and she preened in pride because of course she was. _They_ were. The two of them, together. They were capable of so much and more, and she yearned to show him that. He had already accomplished so much, despite the odds stacked against him.  
He was proud and stubborn, never gave up. He had something to prove, and she was ready -more than ready- to take on the universe at his side.

Blue was faith. Trust. Stability.  
They were the current that pulled everyone together with humor and endless love. A confidence in their team as unyielding as the oceans themselves.  
And like the very sea Lance longed to return to, they could overcome all obstacles, as relentless as a tidal wave that overcomes all within its path.  
They still had a ways to go, but she knew that together they would become the calm within the storm, the anchor that Voltron needed to keep steady. 

Lance and Blue.

First, first, they were _first_. And always would be.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It had been lonely, there in the dark. Terrifying even, when she had felt the first rumbles of machinery picking away and drawing ever near her hiding place. She’d yearned for the love and protection of her sisters, of her Paladin. 

But he had come to her, her soulmate, wading through his own fear to reach her and launch them into the sky at last to join her Blue sister.

Their union had been a hasty one, with the threat of attack all around them, and she had felt his initial trepidation when he saw her; her new Paladin was a man happiest on the ground, where it was safe and secure. He didn’t particularly care for the loops and flips of flight, and she couldn’t blame him for it - he had flown first with Blue, and her sister loved to play and show off. Even so, he’d come to her wholeheartedly with open arms. 

And oh her Bonded was a sweet, gentle soul. Always seeking the safest course, always wanting to help, to protect, to care for the others. He was smart too, though he didn’t flaunt it; he had known how to find her, known what needed to be done just as he had known those bandits had been insincere.

Bonding with him had been a simple thing. His heart radiated gentle affection, and that very warmth seeped into the cold metal of her bones.  
Just like her, he preferred safety and security. They would much rather trade the desperate struggle of battle and pain for the comforts and safety of home - that’s what they were, the two of them: a home. But he had seen the harsh realities of war. He had met those oppressed by it, been shaken by the sight of that scarred, ravaged Balmera.  
And then Hunk -her kind, dear Paladin- had stared his fear in the face and pushed it aside.

He had come so far in such a short amount of time.  
She remembered back in the beginning, in their free-fall, how scared he’d been; of what was to come, of so much newness. He had been shoved into an active role that he hadn’t wanted, forced onto the frontlines, and he had foundered at first. But he was getting his wings. He was starting to realize now that he was stronger than he’d initially believed.  
She admired his courage - and what could it be but courage? But that was how they’d met, hadn’t they, with an act of bravery.

“I’m a _leg_!” he’d cried when they’d all united for the first time, and she had purred in satisfaction. He’d done so well, worked so hard, and she had felt his elation at finally achieving success.  
It was proof that his fear and uncertainty of having to step out of his comfort zone hadn’t been for nothing. And he hadn’t stopped since. He kept pushing and growing, and she glowed with pride at all he had accomplished. 

Even after all they had been through Hunk was still scared truly, as were they all, but that was alright. He would never cast aside those he loved, would defend them to the end. And so would she.They sought courage in one another, kept each other strong, and had faith in her sisters and his friends. In themselves.

They were clarity and joy, as bright and warm as the color yellow itself.  
A shelter in the darkness, a home. It was they who formed the foundation upon which Voltron stood, a light in the vast darkness of space.  
And like unyielding stone they would stand as an impenetrable shield to defend not only the ones they loved, but all who needed defending so that they too could know safety and peace away from fear.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Her Paladin had come in bright-eyed and crowing in delight when she had first laid eyes on her. A piece of machinery the young girl could only have dreamed about before now, her desire to investigate it permeated throughout the cockpit as Pidge had run her fingertips over buttons and throttles with fevered enthusiasm.  
She’d had been flattered, honestly, and just as curious about this little human child she now called Paladin.  
It was the excitement and joy at the unknown, of discovery, that had drawn them together and she wished for nothing else than to lead her new bondmate to each and every new adventure that lay before them. 

Her Paladin was tiny, but she was also tiny compared to most of her sisters. Together they could hide, take their opponents unawares, find and exploit their weakest points to then strike at the hearts of their enemies when they least expected it. If the Red pair was their sword, engaging their foes directly, then the Green pair were the unsuspected knife in the dark.

Her Paladin was young, but so smart, so driven and motivated to accomplish her goals. They spent countless hours together, with her soulbonded lovingly fitting her with new capabilities, making her - them - stronger, better prepared for the unknown. Green purred with delight every second of it, in awe of her young soulmate’s ingenuity.

Sometimes Pidge would talk as she worked, mumbling about numbers and calculations and talking her way to the solutions she tried to puzzle out. Other times she poured her heart out before Green, where she had kept it all within herself for so long. She spoke of family and uncertainty, gave voice to fears that only propelled her to work even harder to find her family. Green knew that feeling all too well, and together they held a fierce determination between them to not rest until their lost family had been returned to them at last.

They knew what needed to be done, and knew what risks were acceptable. They were determined, yes, but also had the ingenuity to be flexible in their methods to reach their goals. In their first bonding exercise, as they flew alongside her Black sister, her Paladin had demonstrated just that; choosing assured safety rather than darting headlong into things as the Red and Blue teams had disastrously done.

Though intensely motivated, her human child was smart and caring and knew that even while she wanted to put her own goals first, they had an even greater responsibility weighing upon their shoulders. The quickest and surest way to find her family was to strike at their foes and protect everyone’s families, though it had been a truth she hadn’t wanted to hear at first.  
But they could still search along the way. Green would never deny her that.

And until then they would grow stronger, faster, until nothing could possibly stand in their way.

As she shielded her sisters, so she shielded her Paladin from harm, letting that brilliant mind focus on the task at hand. Their own little genius, guiding them through with knowledge and skill when might alone wouldn’t suffice.  
They were Green as the new growth on trees, still budding and coming into themselves but full of life and wonder.  
The canopy that hid their friends - their family- from harm. 

Her Paladin was young, and she was tiny but she was so much more than that. She was a fighter, and together they would fight until all that they loved was safe.  
They would find her Bonded’s family, as she had been reunited with her own.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Oh how she’d hated it, her imprisonment. With each passing century of it she had grown more and more restless; patience wasn’t her strong suit.  
She had been made to fly, to taste the stars and protect all who had need of her. Yet she had been held captive by those who wished to use her for ill, shuttled around the cosmos like a piece of freight.

She was neither as open-hearted as her her sisters that formed their legs, nor as logical as those others that coincided with her to form the upper half. She was wary, selective. Her Paladin’s worth must be proven, and she would know when the time was right. 

“It’s meee, Keith, your- I am your Paladin.”

It had been comical, really, how he had expected her to be so easily wooed. He should’ve known better - they were one and the same, after all. Simple faith and pretty words mean nothing until proven through the sincerity of action.

Only once he had proven himself, shown himself to be capable and quick on his feet, did she finally allow the walls she had built around herself to fall and unite with him fully. That was the way they were. Slow to love, but when they did they would protect you with everything they had.  
He had that now, she knew. People he loved. People he wanted to protect.

He was hotheaded and stubborn, a match to her own strength and iron determination. He was withdrawn, rejoicing in privacy and solitude at times, as did she, yet he also loved so passionately.  
Her new Paladin had pure raw talent, and it worked well with her. She was small, fast, and together they were impossible to pin down, full of split-second decisions and a fluid grace that owed everything to pure instinct and unwavering confidence in their abilities; whatever emotional and personal concerns they had, they knew they could at least rely on that. They loved the thrill of the fight, and they were good at it.

As the Blue pair often loved to prove, they were easily tempted into competition. They did so love a challenge, seeing the opportunity to test their skills and improve themselves.  
They’d nearly burst with excitement as they’d sprinted through the asteroid field to rescue her Blue sister. It had been the test of skill they’d hoped for: adrenaline pumping blood through veins, steel legs coiling with power. Her bondmate had had her dancing through the obstacles as easily as if it had been a game to them. In a way, it had been.

They had finally met their match, however, against _him_. The former Black Paladin. He had been alone and relatively unprotected. It had looked so easy, so simple. A swift end to the cause of so much of the universe’s pain.  
They’d been advised against it, but still they had fought, fighting like the angry things they were even when defeat seemed inevitable. It had chilled her Bonded to the core, staring death in the face like that. Had made him feel helpless and weak.  
And she’d hated it.

She should have known that they were all meant to fight as a team, as one, but her Paladin had asked it of her and she had thought them both invincible. They both had. Because they always had been.  
But they had learned a hard lesson and would not make the same mistake again.

Red, like the blood pumping through his veins. Red as the fire that burned ever bright within their souls, hot as the heat of battle, forging their hearts into one.  
They were determination and unbridled power, the sword of Voltron that lashed out at their enemies. 

They were in this together, an unsurpassable team. They were passionate fire that scorched all who stood in their way, so the growth of peace and life could return and thrive.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Power, strength, authority. They were all those things and more.  
Just as the black absorbs all light and color, they brought together the pieces of Voltron into one. The decisive head that directed the others and saw them through adversity time and time again.

They were the wind, gentle and soothing to those they held dear. Guiding them along ever so patiently. A breath of air, filling the lungs of those under their care with encouragement and hope.

But wind also picks up, becomes a gale that wreaks utter devastation upon those in their path. And then it dies down again, a calm breeze once more.

 

She had spent her seclusion quietly musing over the past. The joys and triumphs, the heartache that still lingered there. _(No, no, she mustn’t think of him, mustn’t dwell on it now)._  
She had waited for the day her sisters would greet her once again and, after centuries of sleep, they finally had.

He had looked up at her in awe, overwhelmed by her size and power, and the realization that they now belonged to one another. The man who had stood before her had a resilience in him she knew all too well. A quiet steadfastness that matched her own devotion to doing what needed to be done, of putting that which was most important before her own needs and desires. Their way was a hard one, they had both understood that, and they had worked together seamlessly from the start. It had been a bond formed from mutual love and respect.

This new Paladin of hers was incredibly kind. Patient, practical, unfailingly devoted to his friends and his cause. There was an undeniable strength in him, a promise that he would be whatever he needed to be. It was not a simple task, she knew, acting as leader and being responsible for their lives, but he did it well as if he had been born to do it - she knew he had.

He was already weary, had been through so much for one so young, and yet still he fought. They both fought against the darkness, painful memories they wished could be rewritten. His fear of himself, of what he had done and what he was capable of. Her despair over her former love, he who had forsaken all they had stood for and now. Lives they wish could have been spared.  
He needed rest, but they had both known that now was not the time for it. Now they needed to fight, to overcome, and she vowed to protect him, to stand beside him and strengthen him where she had once failed. She would not let it happen again. 

But then _he_ had returned, had tried to reclaim her. Zarkon, her… -former- Paladin.

The canker that had eaten at him from within all those centuries ago, the darkness that she hadn’t been strong enough to defend him from, had taken over. She could weep at having to face him if she had been capable of it, though she knew deep down that it was her duty. Hers even more so than her sisters, to face he who now stood as her enemy. 

It had pained her to have her new love ripped from her by he who once held her heart. To be forced by unimaginable power to do as he willed, where once he needed only to ask gently, their very beings intertwined as one. It was an impossible choice to make, having to choose between two whom she held dear. And yet she’d had to, for Shiro’s sake. She had been overtaken, _he_ had been coming for her, and she’d done the only thing she could in order to protect her new Bondmate. And so she had ejected Shiro into space.

It was ironic. They were so alike, her Paladins, yet different; two different sides of the same coin. Both had done horrible things, had drank from the cup of bloodlust, had known power of a sort. Yet only one had slaved himself to it. Only one had taken it up within himself as his new creed, his new ambition, had sought it out to bring himself new glory.... While the other cursed himself from what had been forced to become.

He had come back for her, her Shiro. Shaken but forcibly focused on survival, on protecting the team. Fighting, he was always fighting. 

In the end, they had escaped, but only just. All of them separated, spread throughout the universe reeling and gasping for breath. It should have alarmed her more than it did. But she was tired. They both were, they had been through so much.  
Perhaps now was finally the time for rest.

 

She must not fail next time, must not be wooed by fanciful dreams of retaking the past and hopes of her once-love returning to his former self.  
She could not do this alone, but she had not been created alone, had never truly _been_ alone.

She called to her sisters, a defiant roar in the face of their enemies, of all that lay ahead.  
_Together, together, always together!_ they cried, the strength of the blood flowing through the veins of their Paladins, the defiance in their hearts. They were separate now but soon, soon, they would be reunited once more.

In Voltron, their separate selves became one. Their hopes, their dreams, all melded into a white-hot blade to lash out against the darkness. 

With their Paladins -their soulbonded, their other halves- they were the strongest entity in the universe. Together they could right what had been wronged, could set the world to as it should be.  
Their hearts were one, and nothing could stand in their way.

They were the fingers of the hand that defended the universe, the foot upon which their strength was rooted, the head that directed their next course. The blood of their will coursed through them all, seamless in their unity.  
There were five of them. Five bonds to form a unified whole. Five hearts beating as one.

And together they would prevail.

_Blue_

_Yellow_

_Green_

_Red_

_And I’ll form the head._


End file.
